How To Care For An Indoor Cactus
It is quite simple to care for a cactus indoors.
In-fact, it is extremely simple! (As long as you are willing to leave your little, prickly plant alone!).
First, you need to place it in a very bright spot of your home; ideally, a spot that gets 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, then you can leave it alone!
Cacti are among, if not THE, easiest plants to care for indoors.
They are ideal for beginners, busy people and black thumbs alike.
They are also charming plants that are often strategically used to decorate home and office interiors.
I’ve been captivated by cacti since a very young age, when I used to collect them and line them all up, into a neat row on my parents Living Room’s buffet.
It’s no surprise that my kids have several cacti in their bedrooms…
Cacti have that playful and fascinating look that attracts children anyway, so it wasn’t hard for me to convince my kids to get a few…
Plus, (and here is a fun fact for you!), did you know that for Native Americans the cactus is a symbol of “protection” and “warmth”?
YES! Cacti can survive the harshest conditions, and as such are considered as “protectors”.
Offering a cactus as a gift, is offering “protection”.
I wish I knew that when I got my prickly cactus as a Valentine present from my husband years ago…
My African Milk Tree. Even if it is slow, I can still appreciate its growth year, after year.
cactus basic & Important facts
All cacti are succulents. Not all succulents are cacti.
This is really important to understand!
Succulents are defined as a broader group of plants that are included in several botanical families.
Cacti are defined as a botanical family.
There are Desert Cacti and Forest Cacti.
Desert Cacti are those cacti that are native to the desert and have globular or columnar structures. They are covered in spines to support them and help them to survive the harshest conditions. (Examples of indoor desert cacti are African Milk Tree, Desert Candle, Fairy Castle Cactus, Pincushion Cactus, etc.)
Forest Cacti are those cacti that are native to rainforests. They store water in their fleshy leaves and stems and thrive in higher humidity than Desert Cacti. They don’t have spines, but mostly have long and trailing leaves or stems. (Examples of indoor forest cacti are Thanksgiving Cactus, Easter Cactus, Christmas Cactus, Zig Zag Cactus, etc.)
This blog is focused on the Desert Cactus care indoors.
This is my son’s Fairy Castle Cactus. It grew enough since we had it, that I repotted it once already!
cactus care indoors - light
Proper cactus care boils down to providing your prickly friend with the right light, (which is a lot of it!), and with the right amount of water, (which is very little of it!!).
Even though cacti thrive in bright, indirect light, with an ideal 4 to 6 hours of direct light, it is imperative that they do not burn under the West sun for the whole afternoon, or that any part of their bodies touch the window glass. Cacti can burn too!!!
A South facing window with a few hours of direct morning sun is great!
A West facing window screened by sheer curtains is also great!
This Pincushion Cactus has been sitting on my son’s dresser by a West facing window with a screen for over 5 years. It’s growing into an interesting cactus!
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cactus care indoors - humidity & temperature
The myth is that cacti love it hot and dry.
However, just because they are from the desert, it doesn’t mean they always love it hot and dry.
In-fact, desert nights can be quite chilly in winter!
The ideal humidity levels for proper cactus care indoors is between 40% and 60%, which is pretty much in the range of most homes.
As far as temperature goes, it is important to know that cacti go dormant during the winter months; it is wise to keep them in areas with cooler temperatures during the cold season. A reasonable temperature though, never dips below 55F/13C.
It is certainly fundamental to keep cacti away from any cold drafts, whether it’s winter with cold doors and windows, or summer with A/C vents.
This Desert Candle Cactus is 18 years old and was gifted to me as a Valentine present by my boyfriend at the time, (currently my husband). It has been quite happy sitting by this door for years, (despite our dog’s needs to get outside even in winter!).
I keep many of my plants in baskets to enhance the look of the space. You can find many beautiful baskets online on Amazon.
cactus care indoors - water & fertilizing
As mentioned in the Cactus light needs paragraph, cactus care indoors is solely based on light and water.
Once you’ve found the right location for your cactus, you need to make sure you don’t over-water it.
The main cause of cacti death is root rot caused by over-watering.
You better off under-watering your cactus than over-watering it.
The rule of thumb is to water a cactus every 10 days during the hot summer days, and every 6 weeks during winter.
However, and I want to stretch my “however” here! Like for any other plant, watering frequency is relative to the environment your plant is in.
For example, A/C in the summer tends to dry out the air and the soil much faster than the minimal heating during spring and fall. So, you may need to water your cactus more often in summer than during the shoulder seasons.
The size of the pot and its material are also a factor in determining watering frequency. Terracotta is more porous than plastic, allowing the soil to dry out faster.
Lastly, the location of your cactus and how much light and direct sun it gets, will also have an impact on how fast the soil dries.
The best thing you can do is to let your cactus’ soil dry out completely between waterings, but also observe how your plant reacts to different schedules, without over-watering it.
And honestly, I have noticed that some cactus species appreciate more water than others. My African Milk Tree needs more water than my Desert Candle. I noticed that if I keep them on the same schedule, the African Milk Tree leaves dry out and drop.
Remember! Cacti go dormant in winter, so they will need less water than they get in summer and in the shoulder seasons.
In nature, cacti grow in very nutrients poor soil, so they do not need to be fertilized. However, they still welcome some fertilization two to three times a year during the growing season, from Spring to Fall.
These small leaves on the African Milk Tree, will eventually develop into stems. If I don’t water this cactus every 2 to 3 weeks, I notice that the leaves dry out and drop.
cactus care indoors - repotting
As you may have already guessed, cacti don’t need to be repotted very often.
In-fact, some of them don’t ever get repotted!!! (I don’t recall ever upsizing my 18 years old cactus!).
Have you noticed how I used the word “upsizing” instead of “repotting”?
That’s because plants, even cacti, should be repotted, even in their same pot, at least once a year for the sake of replacing their nutrients depleted soil. It’s a good way to check on the roots’ health and pests.
You can read more on repotting in my “Why, When and How to Repot Houseplants” blog.
It is also a good idea to repot your cactus if it comes in a tight and small plastic pot from the nursery or store. Just give it a couple of weeks to adjust to your home before repotting it.
When you repot your cactus, whether because it has outgrown its pot, or because it is in a plastic one, make sure you pick a terracotta pot for it and that it has at least one drainage hole.
Terracotta is a porous material that allows the soil to dry out between waterings, preventing water logging and root rot.
The pot should only be one size bigger than the current one. A too big of a pot in proportion to the rootball, will have a disproportionate amount of soil retaining moisture. This big volume of wet soil can crush and suffocate the roots.
Make sure you use a light, chunky and well draining soil for your cactus. Ideally, you buy a cactus/succulent soil and mix it with some perlite to add even more drainage. (4 parts soil to 1 part perlite).
Don’t forget to use gloves when you move your cactus from one pot to the other!!!
I kept this Crested Elkhorn Cactus in its plastic pot because it has a lot of drainage holes at the bottom. I just placed it inside a pretty cache-pot and I water it once a month.
cactus care indoors - blooming
Inducing a cactus to bloom is the trickiest aspect of the cactus care indoors.
Some cactus never bloom indoors, others bloom after 50 years of care, and others, simply bloom after 3 or 4 years.
I was lucky enough to have my daughter’s Pincushion Cactus bloom without any effort or special trick. Just a lot of good light.
That’s because the best you can do to induce your cactus to bloom is to care for it properly. No special tricks.
Simply follow all the steps described in the previous sections, (being particularly respectful of your cactus’ dormancy period), and it will (perhaps) reward you with beautiful blooms!
My daughter’s Pincushion Cactus in bloom.
We didn’t do anything to induce it to bloom, other than caring for it the same way I described in this blog.
It bloomed in the middle of January too!
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